1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooling systems for cooling electronic equipment, and particularly to systems for cooling electronic equipment that are reconfigurable to allow customized air flow in proximity to the electronic equipment.
2. Background and Objects of the Invention
The growth of the computer industry and telephony over the past few decades has been phenomenal. The integration of these technologies, for example, in telecommunications switching systems, has lead to greater and greater efficiencies as larger numbers of communications are handled by fewer components, which are typically housed in a central control room.
One problem inherent with many existing cooling systems for electronic equipment is rigidity. Many existing cooling systems are built into and/or under the flooring of a temperature-controlled room having equipment needing to be cooled. Such cooling systems employ fixed conduits or other piping for directing cooled air along a subsurface of the flooring and upwardly through the floor and towards the equipment to be cooled. The upwardly directed cooled air is in proximity to the equipment. In the event the temperature characteristics within the temperature-cooled room changes, such as by the equipment being moved within the room or by additional equipment being added therein, it is very difficult to modify the cooling system accordingly. For instance, the conduits have to be detached from their fixed positions and repositioned, or replaced in favor of differently sized conduits. Consequently, altering the cooling characteristics of existing cooling systems frequently proves a costly adventure.
Floor-based cooling systems present additional difficulties other than rigidity in its cooling characteristics. For instance, floor-based cooling systems that do not utilize conduits for passing cooled air occupy more area so that equipment cabling and other obstructions do not cause uneven air distribution or a reduction in air pressure. Such systems require the equipment cabling to be plenum rated, thereby increasing system cost. Floor-based cooling systems also possess the tendency to distribute noise and vibrations, which may effect the operation of the equipment to be cooled.
In addition, floor-based and other existing cooling systems have a rather limited cooling capability. For instance, existing cooling systems have heat densities of approximately 80 watts per square foot (w/ft2) with planned cooling systems being claimed to possess heat densities of up to 150 w/ft2. Cooling systems having such heat densities, however, may not effectively cool today""s equipment, such as state-of-the-art computational equipment.
As is readily apparent, if equipment is not effectively cooled, the internal temperature of the electronic components in the equipment substantially increases, thereby leading to significantly reduced system performance and, in some cases, total system failure. If a cooling system inefficiently cools the equipment, either the equipment may fail due to increased operating temperature or the costs for cooling the equipment may be unnecessarily high. What is needed, then, is a cooling system having its cooling characteristics closely tailored to the heating characteristics of the equipment to be cooled.
The present invention overcomes the above-discussed shortcomings and satisfies a significant need for a cooling system for cooling a heat generating object. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a cooling system includes a frame and a heat exchanger, such as a cooling coil, connected thereto so that airflow is capable of passing through the frame in proximity to the heat exchanger. A fan unit is connected to the frame adjacent to the heat exchanger so that when the fan unit is activated, a first path of airflow passes through the frame in proximity to the heat exchanger through a first portion of the heat exchanger in a first direction and a second path of airflow passes through a second portion of the heat exchanger in a second direction substantially opposite said first direction. In addition, the fan unit is selectively adjustable along the heat exchanger so that the first and second paths of airflow may be repositioned to the desired locations along the heat exchanger and thus the heat generating object. The present invention thus provides a reconfigurable cooling system that is selectively customized to particular cooling requirements.
The operation of the embodiment of the present invention includes drawing air from the heat generating object through the first portion of the heat exchanger so as to define the first path of air flow. The fan unit draws air from the first path of airflow through the second portion of the heat exchanger and directs the drawn air toward the heat generating object in the second path of airflow. In the event heat generating dynamics of the heat generating object changes, the fan unit may be moved along the heat exchanger so that the first and second paths of airflow may be redefined.